Raising environmental awareness among schoolchildren

LJMU has been awarded funding to help raise awareness and understanding of the climate, the environment and nature among schoolchildren in the Liverpool City Region.

A new project has been chosen for a grant from the Liverpool City Region Community Environment Fund, which aims to improve the local environment and boost sustainability.

The joint initiative by LJMU and students’ union, JMSU, will improve the climate literacy and education of local children by:

• Developing resources and a course for secondary school children about climate science and our connectedness to nature
• Creating ‘living classrooms’ for LJMU students and local school pupils to study on campus and at Kensington Fields Community Centre
• Training LJMU students in engaging with schools around nature and hosting interactive sessions with pupils across the city region

All projects supported by the Community Environment Fund will contribute towards the city region’s target of being net carbon zero by 2040.

LJMU is committed to supporting that target and last year declared a climate emergency, as well as becoming the first university in the UK to offer a degree in climate change studies.

The LJMU/JMSU initiative is led by Dr Timothy Lane, from the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences. He said: “I’m delighted that we have successfully obtained funding for this key project.

“Educating children from a young age about our natural environment is a significant factor in bringing about the behaviour change we need to meet the city region’s target of becoming net carbon zero by 2040.

“Understanding climate science and nature is vital in making the Liverpool City Region - and, indeed, the planet - greener and more sustainable.

“We already engage extensively with communities across the region on a wide range of environmental initiatives – from schemes to ‘green up’ our campuses and local areas through to our successful Forest School – and this new project will help us to reach even more young people.”

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “I launched the Community Environment Fund to empower local communities to take action to improve their local environment.

“Together, lots of small actions can help us make a big contribution to making our region cleaner, greener and more sustainable.”

More information

Any schools interested in participating in the project should email Dr Timothy Lane.

You can also find him on Twitter.

Find out more about environmental initiatives at LJMU.